Thursday, September 13, 2018

"Lost Child" A Critical Success

by Pa Rock
Proud Papa

It's been awhile since I've written about my son's second movie, a cinematic effort that was filmed in and around my adopted hometown of West Plains, Missouri.  The movie was originally titled "Tatterdemalion," but it has recently been renamed "Lost Child," apparently so that viewers won't have to work so hard to glean the meaning of the title.

(Just for the record, I liked the original title better - but nobody asked me!)

The movie premiered last October at the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis and has since been featured at numerous other festivals.  A high point of the showings occurred when it took first place at the Kansas City Film Festival last spring.

"Lost Child" opens Friday in a few major markets, and reviewers have had the opportunity to watch the film over the past few days.  I understand that of the first fifteen reviews, all but one have been very positive.  What follows is a review that was penned by Kevin Crust for the Los Angeles Times.  I am shamelessly stealing it in its entirety to post here.

The reviewer liked it - and so did Pa Rock!

Review:  Thriller "Lost Child" Thrills to the Bone 
by Kevin Crust
The Los Angeles Times 
A film about a physically wounded vet reluctantly bonding with a child may sound like something you've seen before, but you haven't seen "Lost Child."   Directed by Ramaa Mosley from a script that she wrote with Tim Macy, the slow-burning thriller walks a fine line, balancing elements of psychological drama and the supernatural, with a surging undercurrent of social commentary that sneaks up on you. 
In a breakout performance, Leven Rambin stars as Fern Sreaves, a recently discharged soldier returning home to the Ozarks following the death of her addict father.   She's looking for her brother Billy, whom she hasn't seen since she ran away as a child, and instead finds a little boy named Cecil (Landon Edwards) all alone in the woods. 
Suffering from PTSD with no plans for staying around once she connects with Billy, Fern fends off the suggestions of a friendly social worker (Jim Parrack) that she keep Cecil for more than a few days.   Fern's desire to stay disconnected from everyone and everything conflicts with the horrors she knows await Cecil in the foster care system. 
The film's largely naturalistic style and Fern's fervent nonbeliever stance provide fertile context for the regional stories of a tatterdemalion - a demon child - to get under your skin (and hers), leading to a breathless final 30 minutes.  Gently adjusting the tension throughout, Mosley knows exactly when to turn up the flame and make a point in the process.

1 comment:

molly. said...

This movie oversold at at least one of the locations. I would've voted Tatterdemalion as well.